Earning Restitution
by JakobiFlyingFox
Summary: Pterano finds himself in a battle between the restrictions of banishment and aiding a young Eggstealer in a search for his family. Meanwhile, amid the red rocks of the Beyond, two very familiar Eggstealers are attempting to scratch out a harsh living as they try and forget their past. WARNING: OC Alert...
1. Chapter 1

Pterano meant no harm. All he wanted was a chance, a chance to prove that no job was too big for him, a chance to convince everyone he was capable of being a leader. But that wasn't how it turned out, much like all of his schemes. He was still regarded as a ne'er-do-well, a wild, crazy flyer who never thought things through; a pompous, stuck-up, self-centered jerk with absolutely no sense of responsibility. Pterano snorted in mid-air, staring gloomily ahead into the dusky horizon as the Bright Circle lowered itself before the sister circle took over her nightly duties.

It had only been a little over a month since his banishment, but it seemed to Pterano that he had already waited out five cold times in the Mysterious Beyond. He was still with the far walkers, figuring it better to stick with greater numbers while he abided to his punishment. Now they were traveling along dry plains. Pterano had cut off from the group upon entering this oasis and settled himself in a tree a ways off. It wasn't that he disliked the company, but he had been feeling rather restless on the road and preferred to keep to himself. The other far walkers gave him a wide berth under these circumstances; really, under any circumstances. Pterano wasn't very popular around here, but the old flyer didn't really mind. It gave him time to think: about his banishment… about that idiotic Stone… about Rinkus and Sierra, his two henchmen that he hadn't seen since his banishment and hoped he never would.

_Rinkus and Sierra,_ Pterano mused absently. Rinkus was naive, borderline clueless, and easily manipulated. Pterano wouldn't hesitate to land a hard whack on Rinkus' head for one of his stupid moves, but Sierra was different. Being at least six seasons younger and bearing an awful temper, Sierra made a nasty foe. Pterano remembered one such incident when the two had a disagreement, which quickly escalated to a full-blown duel. Both of them ended up winded and nearly knocked senseless from repeated wing-blows, but Sierra, youth still somewhat on his side, kept getting up and coming back harder until Rinkus leapt in-between the dueling flyers and insisted they stop. Pterano couldn't help shaking one nagging thought: _Sierra had nearly beaten him_. But aside from all the drama, Rinkus and Sierra had made good enough stooges.

Then the two had ditched him when he had returned to the Great Valley to seek the strange new Stone of Cold Fire. He blamed those ratty Rainbow Faces for spinning all that fancy-talk about the oh-so-magical-and-wonderful stone. _Tripe!_ It was all frivolous tripe, and he was an idiot for listening. But he couldn't forget that feeling he had, that stirring deep within his gut, that churning desire to go after that stone and claim its powers for himself.

Well, that plan had worked out fabulously. Not only had Rinkus and Sierra turned their backs on him at the last possible moment, but the Stone had also turned out to be a fake. Pterano sighed, hidden within his wings. Nothing had changed for him: he was still banished, but his sentence had been reduced somewhat._ 'Five cold times' is reduced?_ Well, at least he had been forgiven. _And by whom? That oaf Topps still hates my guts, and I'm pretty sure Old Man Longneck would have rather my sentence be a lot longer._

Pterano's eyebrows lowered in a pensive frown. Had there been any good that had come out of that episode…? Of course, seeing his nephews and nieces again! In their eyes, he was a hero; a brave and bold individual. A minute grin tugged at the corner of his beak. Petrie, his favorite nephew, still believed in him. The little flyer was convinced that Pterano, regardless of the fact that he had a hand in that little swimmer Ducky's kidnapping (and not to mention that long-ago episode of leading half the herd into a deadly nest of fastbiters; the reason he was banished in the first place) could still change for the better. He had witnessed it himself, when his uncle had saved Ducky from a perilous fall.

_Obviously, having 'good' inside you is not enough._ Pterano grunted. _But what else can I do?_

* * *

There ya have it! You can also find this fanfic on the Gang of Five forum: ** .net**


	2. Chapter 2

Several miles back, in the Great Valley, little Petrie was having trouble falling asleep. No matter how much he tossed and turned in his large nest, amidst his many brothers and sisters, he could not slip into slumber. Something was nagging him in the back of his mind. Petrie finally sat up and sighed. "It no use, me never getting sleep, tonight."

Mama Flyer hopped closer to her little son. "Something the matter, Petrie?" She murmured softly.

Petrie turned to his mother with a mournful look. "Me thinking, Mama. Me miss Uncle Pterano."

Mama Flyer stiffened. In the dark of the cave, Petrie would have missed it had the Night Circle not been shining like torchlight outside. He noticed her shiver and he sighed. "Me sorry Mama, me know Uncle Pterano did bad things, but he still my uncle and me still love him."

Mama Flyer bent and wrapped her little son in her wings. "I know, Petrie. I know."

"You think he come back soon?" Petrie's squawky voice was slightly muffled. "That he be let back in when five cold times pass?"

Mama Flyer paused and sighed. Knowing her brother, she would have answered in short: a blunt 'no' and that would have been the end of it. But she was talking to her son who idolized Pterano, despite his past. "I don't know, Petrie. I hope so." Truly, Mama Flyer did hope that her brother would be welcomed back to the Great Valley, preferably sooner than later. She was resigned to the five cold times' banishment, but she knew that it was a necessary punishment. Pterano never took responsibility for his actions, never had. To Pterano, responsibility got in the way of things. One needed no responsibility to lead a herd of dinosaurs across a barren wasteland. Well, Pterano paid for that mistake with whatever dignity and honor he had left, not to mention an undefined length of banishment after what happened the first time.

"Mama?" Petrie queried somewhere within the folds of Mama's wings. "What you think Uncle Pterano doing now?"

Mama Flyer grinned. "Oh, I don't know, probably getting ready for sleep. If he's still with the far walkers, he's likely very tired from all the traveling they do."

"Me see," Petrie sounded happy; a yawn escaped his beak. "What he be doing tomorrow?"

Mama Flyer carefully laid her little son back into the nest. "He'll most likely be doing more traveling. That's what the far walkers do, dear. Travel all the time. He's most likely seen many other valleys and plains by now."

"Me… me think so, too…" Petrie yawned again, his eyelids drooping until they were closed and his breathing leveled. Mama Flyer smiled gently and bent to give Petrie a little kiss.

* * *

Sleep for Pterano didn't come that easily. Every noise he heard, every twig snap or rustle below caused the flyer to jerk out of his wing folds and almost topple off the branch he was perched on. It seemed like there was more noise tonight, or maybe it was just because he didn't fall asleep immediately. Just then, the flyer heard another noise, and this time it was the closest yet. Whipping out of his wings, Pterano balanced himself on the branch, glaring fearfully down into the darkness. His claws gripped the branch nervously as he croaked out in as brave a whisper as he could muster.

"H-hello? Who's there?"

Nothing happened. Pterano, narrowing his eyes and tensing his shoulders in case of a take-off, tried again. "I know someone's down there! Sneaking around won't do you any good, so -!" Pterano's beak closed with a loud snap as he heard a new voice below.

"N-no! Wait, see? Nothing wrong, here. I-I'm coming out. No cause for alarm." There were more rustlings and then finally, a young dinosaur stepped out from behind a large fern. Pterano, threatening demeanor completely forgotten, gawked down at the youngster.

It was a young Egg-Stealer, Pterano could tell that much, but he wasn't sure why as the Night Circle didn't really shed enough light through the trees for him to get a better look. Maybe it was something in the little one's voice that gave away his species. Pale eyes glowing, the youngster peered intently up at the big flyer and piped up a greeting. "'Allo, there. Name's Taylen, what about yours?" The Egg-Stealer's accent matched his own and for some reason, Pterano calmed down slightly because of that.

Pterano, in reply, spread his wings, causing Taylen to jump back in fear. The flyer quickly pulled his wings back in. "Everything's fine, I'm not going to hurt you. I just can't see you very well from up here." Not waiting for the little one to respond, Pterano flapped nimbly to the ground. Taylen flinched again.

"Hey, come on," Pterano insisted. "I told you I wasn't going to hurt you and I meant it, so settle down."

Taylen nodded quickly. "Uh, okay, right, sorry about that. Who might you be?"

"I'm Pterano," the flyer cocked his crested head. "Now, what are you doing all the way out here at this time of night? I've never seen you before in our group, so please explain yourself." He straightened and folded his arms.

Taylen swallowed loudly. "Well, I'm-I'm trying to find someone, two someones, s'matter of fact. And I almost ran into a couple of sharpteeth earlier, so I ducked in here to hide. That was before the big group came in."

"And who might you be looking for?"

"My brothers who disappeared awhile back, so I decided I'd go and look for 'em."

Pterano raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "Where are your parents, lad?"

Taylen paused. "Uhh… back with my herd. Why?"

"You mean to tell me that you're out here all on your own?" The flyer was shocked.

Taylen shook his head. "Nope. Not alone, you're here, too." The little dinosaur giggled.

Pterano's beak twitched in a minute grin, despite himself. "Yes, but you really shouldn't be out on your own like this, and especially at your age. How old are you, anyway?"

"I'll be fourteen seasons by the end of next month," Taylen sounded so proud. He quickly insisted. "I-I'm stronger'n I look, honest." He thrust a forearm out and tried to flex. "See?"

Pterano could most certainly see, see that this youngster was out of his mind. "Look, um, Taylen. It's dangerous out here. You really must get back to your family." He bent so he and the Egg-Stealer were eye level, which was a little lower than what Pterano was accustomed. The flyer could practically taste the disappointment in the youngster's voice.

"But, but what about my brothers? I'm worried 'bout 'em. They've been missing for so long."

"I'm sure they're fine, lad," Pterano said reassuringly through a yawn. "They can probably fend for thems- are they younger or older brothers?"

"Older by at least two cold times."

Pterano sighed. "Taylen, I am certain your brothers'll be just grand. So–"

"But that's just it!" Taylen persisted, insistant. "Mum and Dad sent 'em out to scout for another home, but they haven't come back! We all went out searching, so I snuck out to look for them."

"You should have had one of your parents come with you, at least." He tossed his head. "A pint-sized Egg-Stealer like you'd be swallowed by a sharptooth in an instant!"

Taylen shrugged. "Mum and Dad gave up way back, but I haven't. And I haven't been eaten yet,"

Pterano frowned and shook his head. "Taylen, you're way out of your league here, so allow me to point you back in the direction you came from."

"But wait!" Taylen pleaded. "Please, sir, can't you help me?"

Pterano nearly choked on his own tongue. "What?" He gasped.

"Please?"

"Well, uh..." _Perfect time to be tongue-tied,_ Pterano thought, annoyed. He folded his arms again. "You can't be serious?"

"Oh, I am, sir!" the little dinosaur piped up happily. "I made a promise not to stop until I found my brothers, and I intend to keep it."

Well, this was a fine mess. Pterano narrowed his eyes, obviously put-out. "I, I…" he grumbled. "Well, I suppose I can lend a helping wing. Got nothing better to do at the moment."

"Oh, thank you so much!" Taylen jumped up and down excitedly, stopping the next moment as Pterano shushed him.

"Settle down, will you! Don't want to wake up every sharptooth in this vicinity now, do we?" He spread his wings. "Well, let's be on the move, then." He flew low so that he didn't lose sight of the youngster, and Taylen didn't lose sight of him. "Do you know where your brothers were last seen?"

"Yeah! Dad sent 'em to check out the Great Valley!"

Pterano spluttered in surprise. "**What!** Oh no, oh no. This isn't going to work Taylen, sorry." He wheeled around to speed back to the grove when Taylen grabbed his foot. "Why not?" Taylen insisted, tugging the flyer back to earth. _He's strong for all his size; I'll give him that,_ Pterano thought as he pulled back. Aloud, he ordered, "Will you let go! Listen, lad, I've been banished, exiled, _kicked-out_ of the Great Valley!"

Taylen's eyes were wide, but he didn't relinquish his hold. "How come?"

"Past... mistakes," Pterano mumbled coldly. "But, I'm not allowed to set foot or _wing_," he flapped his wings for emphasis, "until five cold times have passed by. Now, let's see: I have at least that amount of time left, so this obviously puts a damper on our plans. Terribly sorry I have to fly off, but you know, 'banished'." He went back to struggling to release his foot when Taylen gave a powerful leap and settled on his back.

"What are you doing! Are you cra–?"

"Yes, I'm crazy!" Taylen cried. "But you said you'd help me!"

"Y- banishment takes priority here," Pterano replied hotly. "Now, let go!"

"No! Not until you promise to help! _Please_, sir!"

The flyer grumbled, and hemmed and hawed. _Oh, of all the times to be a push-over._ Pterano allowed himself to fall back to earth, realizing that it would be useless to continue this little charade and then finally whispered back. "All right, fine! I promise, but you _must_ stop yelling," he bent to his knees, allowing Taylen to dismount. "And _never_ catch onto me like that again, do you understand?" Despite the scolding tone, Pterano straightened and spread his wings.

"Now," Pterano flapped into the air. "I'll try to get you as close to the Valley as I can, but I can't actually get you in. D'you think you can travel by night?"

Taylen shrugged. "Well, I can-I can try."

Pterano smiled, then. "Grand, then let's be off,"

* * *

**Taylen is my OC, Pterano is copyright to Universal Studios**


	3. Chapter 3

After a full night journey, Pterano was tired and Taylen wasn't much better. The little Egg-Stealer's gait became slower each step and his pale eyes looked a little duller, but he plodded on, nonetheless. Pterano had to admire the young one's persistence. He hadn't said a word of complaint since they started this adventure, just merely voiced questions or concerns like: why were you banished? The flyer frowned. That explanation alone had cost them half the night.

But now the Bright Circle had welcomed the world with its light, and the lack of sleep caught up to both dinosaur relatively quickly. "Sir?" Taylen spoke up hesitantly.

Pterano looked down at his companion. "Yes?"

"Um, how long until we stop?" Taylen turned a rather desperate eye towards the flyer, indicating he wanted to stop that minute, but was too timid to say it.

Pterano sighed. "We can… stop now, I suppose," he suggested, figuring it best for the both of them. He banked sharply, dropped to the ground and took note of their surroundings. They had made some progress traveling through the dry plains. Pterano recognized the green haze in the distance as the grasslands the far walkers had traveled through the day before. They would be back at the Valley before too long, at least two or three days of solid travel, provided he or Taylen could keep up this pace.

But there was a problem. Their resting place was completely exposed. There was no cover around for at least another two miles. Pterano nervously sucked in his breath as he tried not to think of the predators that roamed these parts. He hadn't seen any so far with the far walkers, but a giant band of dinosaurs was quite different than an aging flyer and a pint-sized Egg-Stealer on their own. He turned to look at his little companion.

But Taylen had obviously not taken any note of their present situation as he had simply curled himself up into a tight little ball at the flyer's feet and seemed to have fallen asleep on the spot. Pterano sighed and reluctantly bent to wake the youngster. "Ahem, Taylen?" He whispered gently, poking the little dinosaur's dappled beige back.

Taylen stirred, mumbled something. Pterano tried again, giving him a slight push. Taylen's pale yellow eyes opened with some effort. "Wha isit?" He murmured. "I thought you said we could stop," the dinosaur sounded upset.

Pterano hastily defended himself. "We - we can, but not here. See?" he waved a talon at their surroundings. "We're completely unsafe right now. A fast biter could come right along now and decide to have a bit of breakfast while we'd be snoozing away." He tried to keep his voice level, but the panic was all too real.

Taylen frowned, disappointed. "But I'm so **tired**," he protested softly. Pterano was tired too, but since age and experience were on his side, flying straight through the night didn't bother him as much. His system could adapt rather quickly; but as for Taylen, the youngster was still in the stages of maturing and he would most likely need several breaks from time to time to rest and refuel.

Pterano frowned. They wouldn't make any progress with continued pit stops. Realizing what that meant he had to do, the flyer sighed and asked. "Taylen? How heavy are you?"

The Egg-Stealer jerked to a stop after getting to his shaky feet and flashed the big flyer a doubtful frown. "Um, I dunno, not very heavy I think."

"Can you give me an estimate?"

Taylen's snout scrunched up with confusion. "Wha's that mean?"

Pterano rolled his eyes. "An estimate; tell me something that's about as heavy as you are!" He didn't mean to sound so impatient, but it was vital that they got to cover and fast and since Taylen was just about drained – the poor lad could barely stand straight – Pterano realized he was going to have to carry him.

Taylen got the gist and focused his tired mind on the flyer's query. "Um, well, I'd say I'm much lighter than, say..." he looked around. "That rock there," he pointed. A massive boulder met Pterano's eyes.

The flyer sighed. _Of course you are,_ he thought grumpily. But shaking his head he bent in front of the little Egg-Stealer and gestured that he mount.

Taylen stepped back, a little surprised. "You-you're gonna _carry_ me?" He breathed.

Pterano frowned. "Well, what's wrong? Didn't you jump on my back last night as I was about to fly off? What are you scared of? Hop on!"

Taylen ducked his head meekly and gave a nimble leap to settle on Pterano's back. The flyer grunted as he spread his wings and flapped into the air. Taylen was about as heavy as a nest full of eggs – really, the flyer was surprised at how light he was.

The Egg-Stealer yelped as he saw them rise up off the ground and quickly wrapped both of his scrawny arms around the flyer's neck. "G-great nest-egg!" He croaked. "We-we're, _up!_ In the _sky!_" He risked a glance downwards and yelped again, seizing an even tighter hold around Pterano's collar and planting his feet against the flyer's back.

Pterano let out a rather strangled cry of protest as he struggled to remain in the air. He shook his head, trying to loose the panicked little dinosaur's arms from his neck but Taylen only held on tighter. "_Erk!_" Pterano gasped, bucking his head. "Taylen! You're choking me! Just grab my shoulders, you're fine!"

Taylen slowly released his death-grip on the flyer's neck and then clamped his claws around the flyer's scapulars, cringing with terror. Pterano softened up a bit, realizing just how scared the youngster was. "Hey," he called back. "Taylen, look below!" The Egg-Stealer peeked with one eye over the tip of Pterano's wing. "See that green in the distance? Those are grasslands. We're almost out of the dry plains, lad!" The flyer called back cheerfully. Taylen relaxed then, looking down at the baked yellows and browns of the dry plains, broken up here and there with dead vegetation, and up ahead, the cool, green sliver of the incoming grasslands.

More at ease now, Taylen got to enjoy the ride and remembered that he was in fact dead tired. He snuggled against the flyer's shoulder blades and fell asleep. Pterano, sensing this, steadied his wingbeats down to a gentle rustle and flew on, small tender grin playing across his beak.

* * *

Aww... nothing like a little terrifying joyride to put one to sleep :3

**Taylen is my OC, Pterano is copyright to Universal Studios**


	4. Chapter 4

Coasting to a gentle stop in the grasslands, Pterano was reassured to see the small outcropping of forest he remembered passing by the day before. Keeping mindful of Taylen still sound asleep on his back, the flyer bent low to the ground and gently slid the youngster down his wing to the soft, grassy ground: an elegant movement, and quite effective as well, for Taylen remained asleep. Smiling down at the slumbering Egg-Stealer, Pterano settled himself against a tree trunk. Not to sleep, even though he was starting to feel the effects of staying up all night, but to keep watch. He would sleep later, maybe when Taylen was more, well, awake himself and could keep watch while he slept.

The flyer folded his talons over his stomach and sighed peacefully. Right now, there was nothing to be worried about: a warm breeze circled lazily in the air, catching the tall grass in its embrace. The sky above was gray, possibly forecasting a deluge later on. The flyer's smile disappeared as he leaned back. Nothing to worry about, indeed! What was he going to do?

_Well, I can't leave the lad alone_, he argued. _He's just a child. But I can't exactly go back to the Great Valley, either. I'll be throttled and most likely exiled for good if I'm caught!_ Pterano fumed with frustration. What to do, what to do…?

_Can't worry about that now; just have to focus on getting Taylen there in one piece. Maybe we'll get lucky – maybe his brothers'll be nowhere near the valley, thus saving my hide!_ The thought didn't do much to cheer him, but it was a start. The flyer allowed his attention to be momentarily distracted by a few buzzing stingers that hummed by. Pterano relaxed then. It was so picturesque here he saw no reason to cloud his mind with worries. Best not to think about the valley issue until they arrived there. He was still hoping they would complete this journey before reaching the Great Walls.

* * *

Taylen slept like a literal rock – he didn't even snore. Pterano thought sympathetically, _Poor lad, he's obviously not used to all this traveling. I'll probably end up carrying him most of the way._ With a sigh, the flyer shook his head in order to stay awake. He was feeling quite tempted to just close his eyes for a few moments, but he couldn't allow himself to do that. A few moments could easily become a few hours and they would end up losing valuable daylight as a means of further travel.

But Pterano really didn't know what else to do as he waited for Taylen to wake up, which judging by the complacent smile upon his snout, and the slow, peaceful rise and fall of the little one's ribs as he breathed, wouldn't be anytime soon.

_Best to let the lad sleep a little longer_, the flyer eventually decided. He was starting to get rather jittery from staying in the same place for so long just to watch a little dinosaur snooze. Pterano stood up, anxious for something else to do, and flexed his talons and wings. He noted with some chagrin that his shoulders were particularly achy from last night. _Humph_, he thought gloomily. _I don't care what you think – I'm still in my prime! Certainly not that old!_

The flyer spread his wings and let them catch the wind. The membrane rustled in the breeze, whipping out behind the flyer as he faced the breath of air. Shutting his eyes, Pterano drew in his feet and was simply carried up by the draft; his wings acting as an anchor to hold him steady. Once he felt he was of considerable height, the flyer leveled out in a soar. Only then did he open his eyes. He had anticipated the mount perfectly, he realized with a self-satisfied smirk, as he looked downwards.

He angled the slope of his wings to forty-five degrees as he spun in barrel rolls through the air. The flying conditions in this area were perfect. Pterano let out a euphoric whoop as he swooped upwards, towards the gray sky, wings outstretched to their full length. His eyes rolled back as he inhaled deeply, nearly drunk with the sensation of flight. At the pinnacle of his ascent, Pterano swung himself upside-down and rocketed towards the ground, banking at the last possible moment. He grinned smugly as his talons caught the ground, braking precisely so. He had performed that trick hundreds – if not thousands – of times and the right moments to soar and stop had become rather instinctive to him so he really didn't need to keep his eyes open at all. Pterano may have been a liar, a schemer, and an irresponsible freeloader, but there was no denying the fact that he was quite a magnificent flyer, and he knew it himself.

A gasp of amazement caused his crested head to snap in the direction of Taylen, still a little droopy-eyed, half-sitting and half-lying on the ground, elbows propping himself. He must have just woken up.

"That… that was _amazing_, sir," the little one stood, not as wobbly as before and hopped up to the big flyer who suddenly felt quite bashful as he turned his head away slightly, without much idea why. Taylen continued. "I-I'm serious, that was… emphatic!" He seemed quite proud of himself for using this bold and descriptive word.

_Oh, g__et a grip, Pterano!_ Inwardly, the flyer cringed at that phrase, almost expecting a pair of talons to clasp onto his wrists and drag him along through the air. "Well, um…" he stammered, trying to find the right words. "My thanks, lad. I'm… glad you enjoyed it." He ruffled his wings and then folded his arms, attention now fully on the little one. "Did you sleep well?"

Taylen yawned and stretched in reply. Pterano grinned wryly.

"I'll take that as a 'yes', then," he murmured. "On a different subject, are you hungry?"

The little Egg-Stealer paused and frowned. "Uh, yeah, I guess so." He shrugged. "Haven't really thought about, but now that you mention it..." he looked around. "Is... is there anything to eat?"

"I suppose we'd better go and find out," he suggested quietly.

Taylen perked up and nodded, sleepiness obviously forgotten as his face brightened with a delighted smile. "Okay!" He assented.

Pterano rolled his eyes. Taylen's energy level continued to amaze him. One minute the youngster could be just about dead with fatigue and the next he could be bouncing about like an overexcited hopper. He motioned with a claw towards the small grove. "Let's check back there. I'm assuming you eat green food?"

Taylen bobbed his head. "Yeah! I do, but my eldest brother Ozzy doesn't approve of that. He thinks we should only eat eggs!" His face fell. "But I don't want to eat eggs all the time; neither does Strut. We both like water greens, tree fuzz, and ground stars, but most of all sweet bubbles!" he looked around expectantly. "D'you think there are any sweet bubbles around here?"

Pterano snapped out of his momentary lapse in thought with a shake of his head. He was going to have to be quicker mentally to keep up with Taylen's... verbosity. He looked back towards the grove. "We could... check, I suppose." He glanced upwards and frowned. The sky puffies seemed darker than before. "But we shouldn't dawdle," he continued rather crisply. "It looks like sky water, and I don't fly well when it's wet."

"You could walk," Taylen's unfailing cheerfulness earned him a weak grin from the flyer.

"Yes..." Pterano admitted. "I... could," he sighed, smiling. Taylen was growing rather fast on him. "Let's find you something to eat, then."

"What about you?" Taylen queried, cocking his head curiously to the side. Pterano opened his beak to reply, but made no noise other than a hesitant "um" sound. The flyer shook his head.

"I'm... not that hungry."

Taylen stopped then and fixed Pterano with such an intense, searching frown the crested flyer jerked to an immediate halt in his stride, looking back at those disturbingly-pale yellow eyes. The Egg-Stealer shook his head slowly. "Pardon me, sir, but that's a load of rubbish. You haven't had anything to eat yet all day. You may be bigger and older than me, but you still need to eat." The sight was adorably comical: Taylen tapped one foot against the grassy ground while his twiggy claws were planted firmly on his hips, the absolute picture of authority. Pterano hid a humorous snicker at his would-be scolder.

Taylen relaxed enough to nod his head towards the grove. "Now, how about we both find something to eat and then be off, 'kay?" Without waiting for a reply - or a retort for that matter - Taylen hopped off into the darker grove, wich Pterano following.

The little Stealer chirped with delight when he found some tree fuzz resting inconspicuously on the trunk of a rather bent and rotting tree. Pterano grimaced, not one for consuming lichen, and instead turned to look for leaves. He was rewarded by a sad-looking sapling tree further back full of rich, green tree stars. He grinned as he flapped up, plucking a few choice leaves from the branches before retreating back to the ground to enjoy his meal.

Taylen, tree fuzz bits sticking to the edge of his snout and around the corners of his mouth, spoke up hesitantly. "So... how long until we reach the Great Valley."

The question hit Pterano like a punch in the gut. He swallowed his mouthful carefully before he could choke and replied, "Well, the far walkers and I were a good four days' travel worth away, but thanks to our little night flight, I'd say we have at least another two days left to go before we reach the walls..." he drifted off, popping another tree star into his beak before Taylen could ask another question. But the Egg-Stealer persisted.

"Do you think we'll get there soon?"

Pterano answered quickly through his mouthful, "Perhaps, perhaps, depends on how much ground we cover, but I'm certain," here he paused to swallow. "That we'll make substantial progress before the next few days are out. Just got to keep moving."

Taylen left it at that, pretending not the notice how agitated the flyer had become at his simple inquiry. Based on what Pterano had told him last night about his banishment due to that long ago fatalistic mistake in leadership, and then nearly getting his nephew and his friends killed by going after a rumored Stone of Cold Fire, Taylen could well surmise that the flyer wasn't at all comfortable with the idea of going back before his sentence was up, and he could sympathize. But the Egg-Stealer was still glad Pterano had made this sacrifice in order to keep him safe. He had a little vow then and there to keep an eye out for Pterano, and not let the old flyer get in trouble with the Valley.

* * *

O_o suspense coming your way!

**Taylen is my OC; Pterano is copyright to Universal Studios**


	5. Chapter 5

At that moment, far beyond the Walls of the Great Valley in a little red-rock glen, a mother sickleclaw was tending to her nest. She was a large, striking sharptooth with a dull scarlet hide and yellow pin-pricking stripes down her back. The bony crests on either side of her crown, apparent to her species, were colored a deep, burnt orange and were slightly less evident. Her gold, slitted eyes tenderly regarded the circle of twigs, brittle bones and dried grass at her feet.

With one foot, she rearranged the oblong, milky-colored orbs and gently kicked more of the dried grass over them to keep them warm. She had been in this glen for weeks now, ever since she started laying, and her mate's presence here was infrequent as he was out hunting a good deal of the time. The longer, deadly talons on her toes glinted as she turned towards the entrance of the glen and caught the Bright Circle's rays.

A cautious hoot announced the return of her mate and he slowly entered the glen, bringing a slain runner in his jaws. He was more colorful than the female; his flanks were streaked with shades of lime green and his eye crests were bigger. His mate chirped happily as she rushed to greet him, nuzzling his neck and licking his snout. The male relished this kind of attention until he remembered the prize hanging from his clenched teeth. He dropped the dead dinosaur to the ground, bobbing his head towards it, indicating that his mate eat it.

The female cocked her head, confused. Usually, her mate would find something they could share, yet here he was insisting she only partake in the meal. She shook her head and made small, worried grunts.

Her mate looked rather embarrassed as he answered in the sharptooth language: _"Almost caught a young swimmer, but they saw me before I got too close."_ He sounded frustrated. His mate smiled empathetically – it wasn't uncommon for sharpteeth to have failed hunting trips – and bumped her nose against his as a way of saying 'it's okay.'

However, just then, the male stiffened. His legs went rigid as he rose up on tip-claw to sniff the air. A low growl escaped his throat as he turned to his mate. _"Something's out there, I'll be right back."_

_"I'll come with you,"_ his mate suggested, catching his arm. The male grunted uncertainly, knowing his mate should stay with the eggs.

_"You stay here."_ He replied flatly, and went to investigate.

As the female's back was turned to her nest, a pair of glinting amber eyes appeared from a dense bush which overhung the nest. The eyes were connected to a beaked snout and a long, slim neck which stretched slowly out towards the nest, keeping a watchful eye on the mother sickleclaw. More of the creature appeared as it silently slid out from the bush's cover. It was a male Egg-Stealer, paler in coloration than most others of his species, but slightly bigger and with a more pronounced profile. He crept slightly forwards in his venture, one arm reaching longingly for one of the morsels when all at once there came a stifled cry of surprise from back in the bush. The Egg-Stealer froze, eyes wide as his head snapped behind him and then towards the female sickleclaw who, hearing the noise, whirled around to face the would-be robber.

The Egg-Stealer's arm was still reaching for the nest. He hesitantly pulled it back, a lame smile on his face. "So sorry madam, for the interruption, continue with your business, don't mind me-_AAGH!_"

Like lightning, the female sickleclaw sprang forward, talons splayed, needle-sharp teeth bared in a blood-curdling screech of rage. The Egg-Stealer rapidly about-faced and dove back into the bush where he faced another of his species – this one was another male with a darker hide and yellow eyes. He looked up at his pale companion who crashed through the thicket, wide-eyed with fear.

"Change of plans!" He sputtered. "_Run_!"

The darker one, slightly slower, peered over his companion's shoulder to see the mother sickleclaw try to claw her way through the foliage. He gasped. "O-oh, right!" He complied, struggling to his feet. The pale one sent him stumbling forwards with a violent push.

"Move!" He barked.

"Move where? We're trapped!" The dark one complained. He yelped as a clawed hand snagged his tail, thinking it was surely the sickleclaw, but the pale Egg-Stealer yanked him back and jabbed an index upwards.

"_Climb_!" He hissed urgently. The dark one scrambled up the steep sides of the glen, followed close behind by his companion. The two left the thicket in the nick of time as the female sickleclaw burst through, growling and clawing at the two retreating dinosaurs. She let out a warning series of hoots and then turned to tend to her eggs.

The two Egg-Stealers, safely at the top pathways overlooking the glen, stopped to catch their breath after their momentary panic. The darker one peered back down to glimpse the sickleclaw, whose mate had just returned. He gulped loudly and turned to his companion. "Hey, Ozzy?" He murmured.

The pale one, Ozzy, whipped his head around, fixing the dark one with a withering stare. "You… _fool_!" He panted. "I was _this close_!" He measured the distance with two of his claws. "What possessed you to suddenly make a noise?"

The dark one gulped again, eyes darting about wildly, like he wanted to hide under the first rock he found. "I-I… stepped on a… ground prickly."

Ozzy stalked up to his companion, boring down on him. "A ground prickly, eh?" he hissed. "Maybe you should have thought to yourself that stepping on a ground prickly is a hundred times more pleasant than what Ozzy'll do to you when he finds out you spoiled our lunch!" he raised his claw to land a sharp clout on his companion's head, but withdrew at the last moment, as if he were still debating the best means of punishment.

The dark one shrank back to avoid the blow, but when none came, he looked up cautiously. Ozzy appeared tired all of a sudden as he sighed and folded his arms over his narrow chest. He continued in a much softer, almost gentle voice. "Look, Strut, brother… I'm just… _really_ hungry." He mumbled an apology. "This is bordering on ridiculous; we haven't had anything to eat for the past three days now."

Strut, the darker one, slowly straightened and nodded. "Yeah," he agreed.

Ozzy continued. "I mean, it wasn't so bad back in the valley – remember? – I mean, yes, we had a bit of a rough start, but at least there were available resources, you know?" He suddenly frowned. "But then those… those little –" he broke off before he could say another word and growled deep in his throat.

Strut rolled his eyes, knowing exactly who his brother was talking about. "Oz, I thought you said you were over it. After all, they didn't _really_ ruin our meals, we… we were just in the wrong place at the _really_ wrong time." He tried to chuckle, but all that came out was a distraught whimper.

Both Egg-Stealers, in good light, appeared quite undernourished – ribs stuck out slightly through their hides and were even more noticeable when they breathed, Ozzy's severe face was slightly broken by his cheekbones jutting out and both had dark circles under their eyes.

Ozzy gave an unwilling shrug. "I, well… okay fine, they didn't." He harrumphed and looked away. "But I need to blame _somebody_," he insisted quietly.

"Well, then," Strut replied primly, claws stuck on his hips. "Blame yourself. If you hadn't called so much attention to us that first night, we wouldn't have had to high-tail it out here to eat! _And,_" he stepped forward. "Those little buggers wouldn't have chased after us, started a rock-slide, make us lose the egg and then -!"

Ozzy snarled as he faced his brother. "Okay, Bark Breath! I get it! You don't need to go all Mum on me!"

At that remark, Strut's face fell, yellow eyes glistening slightly. "…All 'Mum' on you… wonder how… Mum and Dad…" he sighed, a slow mournful sigh. "I miss home, Oz. I really miss home."

It was Ozzy's turn to sigh as he turned, gesturing or his brother to follow. "Me too. But we'll get home, brother."

Strut perked up. "Really? When?"

Ozzy grumped. "As soon as we find another, _safer_ place for the whole herd, the entire bloody reason we came out here in the first place!"

Strut bit the edge of his beak, figuring he should probably be quiet for a while now and let Ozzy stew. "Ah, I see."

* * *

Ozzy and Strut! Hooray! :DD


End file.
